Category Archives: Hydro/Marine
The Return of Loran
An obsolete WWII navigation system is making a comeback In the 1980s, I used Loran-C to navigate on sailing trips off the U.S. East Coast. It had an accuracy of a few hundred feet and required interpreting blue, magenta, black, and green lines that were overprinted on nautical charts. The system was a modernized version, launched...
Scans, Soundings, Surve and Sailcargo: Building Ceiba with Surveying
Timeless maritime arts and craftwork mixed with modern technologies—including high-precision surveying—are helping reintroduce wind power to seaborne trade in Ceiba. It was a chance meeting that changed two lives. It may also change the way the world thinks about maritime shipping. It’s Ceiba! An accomplished sailor, Danielle Doggett loves tall ships—the large wind-powered sailing vessels...
Teaching Roots and Research at the University of the Philippines
One of Southeast Asia’s oldest surveying schools is promoting the use of geospatial technologies and thriving in the digital age. When Louie Balicanta walks inside the high-ceilinged corridors of Malcolm Hall on his way to teach land surveying, he knows how much responsibility rests on his shoulders. Not only is he an assistant professor at...
The Many Facets (and Faces) of Surveying
Surveyors have traditionally done a variety of essential and interesting work—and they continue to do so. We’ve asked surveyors from various work disciplines what inspires them. To get an idea of where we are going, it’s important to stop and take a look at where we have been. This rings especially true for those of...
Another Curveball: Coronavirus and Geospatial
Out of the blue, we’re facing another curveball. The current global concern (COVID-19, aka the Coronavirus) was generally not anticipated, and the situation changes daily. It was hoped that, by the time this is published, the situation would have calmed dramatically—but sadly it has taken a turn for the worse. Thus far disruptions have only...
What Is Hi-Target?
A prominent manufacturer of surveying hardware and software in its own domestic market, Hi-Target is looking towards a broader future in the global geospatial sector. A familiar story: a startup rose rapidly in the Asian infrastructure and development boom to capture top status for certain surveying and mapping products in their domestic market—a market larger...
